Vanishing Point
by Ransomed Heart
Summary: AU:A pinkhaired girl and a blondehaired boy that only two others can see. Will tragedy repeat itself, or can destiny be fought? The secrets unravel as twilight comes.....
1. Memory Fragment

i'm starting a Code Lyoko multi-chapter fic! go me! i don't own Code Lyoko.  
  
thankies to all the people who reviewed my one-shots!  
  
for the record, this is slightly alternate universe. you'll see.  
  
-----  
  
The black-haired girl stared up at the massive school before her, fiddling subconciously at her pants   
  
pocket as she did so. It wasn't like her to be so nervous, but this was a whole different country, and she  
  
wasn't certain if the French population of the school would be completely understanding of her diferent  
  
nationality.   
  
'So far, so good,' she thought absently as she rounded a corner. "Owch!" The girl felt herself collide  
  
with something and then felt her rear end connect with the ground.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" A boy, apparently the one she had bumped into. His hair was spiked upward  
  
with a purple patch in the middle.   
  
"Geez, Odd, watch where you're going." The girl looked up to see another boy. this one had brown hair  
  
in a fairly normal style. He extended a hand to her. "I'm Ulrich, and mister observant here is Odd."  
  
She took the hand gratefully. "Yumi. I just moved here." Once she was up, Ulrich turned to help Odd.  
  
"Where from," Odd asked conversationally as he brushed himself off.  
  
"Japan...." Yumi said, letting her voice trail off.  
  
"Awesome," Ulrich said. " I'm new here too. You'll have to tell us all about it."  
  
"Sure." Yumi smiled.  
  
"Meet you by that bench after class," Odd offered, and Yumi nodded. "Great! See ya later, Yumi!" The   
  
pair headed off in the opposite direction.  
  
-----  
  
Yumi lounged lazily on the bench while she waited for the boys. Her first day had gone well dispite  
  
the fact that she had arrived in the middle of a semester. The teachers were nice and her fellow students   
  
accepted her presence as just another fact of life. A few others milled about, glad to be out of class but  
  
not quite ready to return to their rooms, dispite the fact that the sun was begining to set below the   
  
distant horizon.  
  
Suddenly the relative silence of the courtyard was broken by an ear-shattering scream. Yumi looked up  
  
immidiately, locating it's source. A girl about Yumi's age, possibly younger, came hurtling out of the  
  
dorms at a pel-mell run. Her eyes were wide with untold terrors, sticking out like dinnerplates from her  
  
pallid skin framed by short-cropped pink hair. None of the other students seemed to notice as the girl ran  
  
across the courtyard towards the school gates.  
  
Yumi jumped up to stop her, but the girl sped by without casting a glance her way. She continued out   
  
of the school gates and out of sight, almost seeming to fade into the distance.  
  
The Japanese student glanced around. None of the others seemed to have noticed the incident, or else  
  
they simply didn't care. Yumi decided that had to be it, because surely no one could have not heard that   
  
scream.   
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
well, what do you think? should i trash it, or continue? 


	2. Precious Illusions

Chapter Two: Precious Illisions  
  
Yumi glanced around quizzically. 'Who was that....?'  
  
"Hey, Yumi!" Odd and Ulrich jogged up. Odd was smiling happily, but Ulrich looked almost as pale as the   
  
girl did. He and Yumi exchanged looks of uneasiness. If Odd noticed either of their complexions he didn't   
  
comment, instead launching himself into a recap of physics. Yumi allowed her thoughts to wander back to the   
  
strange occurance moments before. Suddenly a pause in the conversation brought her back to reality. She   
  
looked up, making eye contact with Odd, who was staring at her like he was waiting for an answer.  
  
"Pardon?" Yumi asked, feeling silly.  
  
"How was your day?" Odd repeated slowly.  
  
"Oh, it was.....fine," Yumi struggled for the word. 'Yeah, fine if you forget about screaming girls   
  
running around the courtyard...'  
  
"Cool. Ack! Look at the time! C'mon Ulrich, Jim'll kill us if we're not back in our rooms by curfew!"  
  
Without waiting for an answer, Odd sprinted off in the direction the girl had come from, towards the dorms.  
  
Much to Yumi's surprise, Ulrich didn't follow.  
  
"I'll walk you to your room," he offered, gesturing towards the dorms. "We need to talk."  
  
"I don't live on campus." Yumi smiled apologetically. "My parents live just a couple blocks away, I  
  
have to walk home. Talk about what?"  
  
"I'll walk you home then," Ulrich amended. Without answering Yumi's question, he steered her towards   
  
the gates, and waiting until they where out of them to start talking.  
  
"You heard it too." Yumi couldn't tell if it was a statement or a question, but Ulrich continued. "As   
  
far as I know, you're the only other person in that whole dang school who has noticed it."  
  
"That girl...." Yumi said softly, letting her voice trail off.  
  
Ulirch turned to look at her. "You saw her?! The girl with the pink hair? You saw her?!"  
  
Yumi nodded. "She came running out of the dorms screaming her head off. I tried to stop her, but I just  
  
wasn't fast enough. She ran out of the school gates and down the street."  
  
"I heard the scream," Ulrich said. "I've seen her before, and the boy too."  
  
"Boy?" Yumi glanced at Ulrich.  
  
"You haven't seen him yet? No, I guess you wouldn't have. You will though, just give it a day or two."  
  
"Why can't anyone else see them," Yumi asked.  
  
"Search me. Like I said, so far you are the only other person that I've found." Ulrich shrugged.   
  
"It's almost like they're illusions or something..." mused Yumi. "Well this is it. Thanks for walking  
  
me home, Ulrich." She had stopped in front of a quaint little two-story house. "Won't you be late for your  
  
curfew now?"  
  
Ulrich shrugged again. "Odd and I are roomates. He'll cover for me."  
  
Yumi flashed him a smile. "G'night!"  
  
"Night!"  
  
-----  
  
again, flames accepted but probably ignored, comments and constructive critisism always welcome! 


	3. Soul's Whereabouts

First off, I wanna thank all my reviewers! U guys rock! Cookies for everyone!  
  
Shadow Dragon99-Aw, c'mon, it's no fun if you don't guess! :)  
  
Sanity-Stealing-Lawn-Gnome- I just have to say I'm luvin' the username!  
  
Sword Master Jeff- You'll see!   
  
-----  
  
**Chapter Three: Soul's Whereabouts**  
  
Yumi ran a brush through her hair distractedly, doing the motion through habit more than nescessity.   
  
Setting the brush down, she walked from her bathroom into her bedroom, enjoying the way her fleece pajama   
  
bottoms felt as she walked. A lone light cast shadows on the walls as she entered her room and made a bee-  
  
line for the bed in the opposite corner. The lamp was next to her bed, and after getting situated she   
  
reached a hand up and clicked it off.  
  
-----  
  
_ Yumi looked down at herself. Yellow shirt, pink sweater and black skirt. Totally not her style. Taking  
  
in her surroundings, she realized she was not in her own room. Well, it was her room, as in it was in the   
  
same house and had exactly the same dimensions, but it was decorated differently. Yumi liked hers a little  
  
less pink. 'I gotta get outa here...' Moving to open the door, Yumi caught a glance at herself in the full-  
  
length mirror on the back of it.  
  
'I'm not me!' She screamed in her own head. Pink hair, and was she....shorter? 'I'm out of here now!'  
  
Yumi sprinted down the stairs and towards the front door. The house seemed to be empty except for   
  
her, so no one was there to stop her.  
  
Bursting through the door into the sunshine Yumi continued down the steps and hurled herself towards   
  
the sidewalk. She was about to continue running down the street when a hand caught hers.  
  
"What's the rush?" Yumi turned to see a boy. Blonde hair, glasses and a blue turtleneck. He was cute,   
  
if you were into the intellectual type. His expression was teasing, until he saw how scared she was. "Are  
  
you okay, Aelita? What's wrong?" His grip on her hand tightened.  
  
"N-nothing, Jeremy. I'm fine." Yumi panicked inside. 'I didn't say that! That wasn't me! How do I know  
  
his name?!'  
  
At any rate, this Jeremy boy looked releived. 'Well, at least someone's happy!' "C'mon then, we'd   
  
better get to class." Yumi felt herself nod dumbly and allowed the boy to lead her down the street. It   
  
seemed like she was simply observing things from this girl's body. Though she had been in control when she   
  
panicked in the house.....   
  
Suddenly the school gates loomed up before them Yumi balked inwardly. 'It's the school! But it looks  
  
newer somehow..... like it was just built....'  
  
Another boy stepped out of the park and headed their direction. Yumi thought she heard Jeremy say  
  
something under his breath, and he sped up their pace, nearly dragging Yumi behind him. She felt her feet  
  
slip out from under her and the ground came rushing up.....  
  
_-----  
  
Yumi sat bolt upright in her bed, cold sweat dripping down her face. Gasping for air, she took a quick  
  
look at her surroundings. 'My room! My room! It was a dream...all a dream...'  
  
"Jeremy...and Aelita....But who are they?" 


	4. School of the Fallen

thankies to Shadow Dragon99, who appeased the whim of a hyper (and quite possibly crazy) authoress and took   
  
a guess. you were correct. also thanks to CodeLyokoGirl for correcting my spelling of Ulrich.  
  
-----  
  
**Chapter Four: School of the Fallen**  
  
Yumi fought her way out of the bedsheets that she had managed to sucessfully entangle herself in in  
  
the course of her dream. Dragging herself out of bed she grabbed at her alarm clock above her bed, which   
  
she had apparently forgotten to set. _'Ack! I'm late!'_ Suddenly wide awake, Yumi bolted for the closet.  
  
Ding-Dong  
  
_'Perfect. Just Peachy. This can't get any worse!'_ Yumi fumbled down the stairs at near light speed.   
  
Her parents left early for work, so she had to answer the door. Swinging it open with the strength of one   
  
in a panic, Yumi found herself staring into the face of Ulrich. _'Nevermind. It just got worse.'  
_  
"Um....." Ulrich gazed at her helplessly, doubtlessly devoid of all knowledge concerning what to do   
  
when someone answers the door in pj's. "I came to walk you to school..." he forced out as if this clarified   
  
the whole matter.   
  
Yumi blushed. They weren't the most decent pj's either. A black tank with extremely short matching   
  
shorts. Not to mention what her hair must look like."Um....Come on in an have a seat....I'll go get ready."   
  
She stood aside to let him enter, gesturing towards the living room. "Be right down."  
  
Minutes later she reappeared, still blushing but dressed for school with backpack over her shoulder.  
  
"We better run or we'll be late," Ulrich cautioned.   
  
"What are we waiting for then?" Yumi grinned at him. "Betcha I get there first!"  
  
"You're on!"  
  
-----  
  
Dispite the day's rocky start, Yumi manage to survive the and zeroed in on the boy's table at lunch.  
  
Taking a seat across from Ulrich, she flashed them a smile. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much," Odd mused. He turned his attention to her tray. "Do you want that?" He pointed at what  
  
Yumi considered to be the most obvious display of bad cafeteria food in existance. She couldn't even  
  
identify it.The term mystery meat wouldn't do it justice. Seizing her fork, Yumi stabbed it and transfered  
  
it from her own tray to Odd's. "Thanks!" The older girl watched in grotesque fansination as he dug in and  
  
practically inhaled the mysterious food.   
  
Ulrich didn't seem to notice the other boy's eating habits, or was so used to them that it failed to   
  
nauseate him. He continued to stare at his own tray until another presence arrived at the table. Glancing  
  
over at the seat next to him, he saw a blonde-haired boy pull out the chair and sit down. Yumi had not  
  
failed to notice his appearance either, and was staring like he was something out of a horror novel. More  
  
shock arrived in the form of a pink-haired girl who took the seat next to Yumi. She struck up a   
  
conversation with the boy, seemingly unaware of the presence of the table's previous occupants, two of whom  
  
were observing the scene like people watching a movie.  
  
_"Sorry about making you fall earlier, Aelita,"_ the boy apologized.  
  
_ "It's okay, Jeremy. It really was her fault anyway. I wish she would leave us alone..._" She stopped  
  
as Jeremy grabbed her hand.  
  
_ "I'm still sorry though..."  
_  
"Hello Ulrich!" A high-pitched voice snapped them back to reality. Both teens looked up to see another  
  
girl standing at the head of the table. Even Odd looked up.  
  
Ulrich squirmed slightly. "Hello Sissy." Yumi sized the girl up quickly. Pink outfit, long black hair  
  
held back with a headband. Yumi surpressed the urge to make a rude comment, instantly disliking the girl.  
  
"Ulrich darling, you were late getting back to your room last night," Sissy continued, either unaware   
  
of or ignoring Yumi's presence. "I heard Jim yelling."  
  
"I wasn't aware my nightly habits were of your concern, Sissy," Ulrich snapped back. "Besides, I was  
  
walking a friend home." For the first time Sissy seemed to acknowledge Yumi.  
  
"Her I suppose? Who are you anyway, and what are you to Ulrich?" Sissy shifted her full atttention to  
  
the irate Japanese girl, glaring openly.  
  
"My name is Yumi, and I'm Ulrich's friend. Who are you?"  
  
"Sissy, the principle's daughter. Ulrich's girlfriend." Odd spat out a mouthful of food back onto his  
  
tray at the last part, and Ulrich glared at her.  
  
"No you're not."  
  
"But I will be. Ciao!" Sissy departed, leaving Ulrich glaring, Odd chuckling lowly into his food and   
  
Yumi looking questioningly at Ulrich.  
  
"Um...Ulrich, can I talk to you? Alone?" Yumi gave a pointed look at Odd.  
  
"Man, I have to go to the bathroom. Be right back....." Odd excused himself hastily.  
  
Ulrich waited until Odd was out of earshot. "Look, if it's about Sissy...."  
  
"I had a dream about them last night." Yumi gestured at the chairs beside Ulrich and herself, now  
  
empty. "Jeremy and Aelita. I was in Aelita's body, I think. I was weird though, it seemed like I was her.  
  
Jeremy came by to take me to school and when we got here some guy came out of the park towards us. Jeremy  
  
sped up and I lost my footing and fell. That's when I woke up."   
  
Ulrich went pale. "I had that same dream, except I was Jeremy, and I think the person coming out of   
  
the park was a girl. I think that's what they were talking about just now! He was apologizing for making   
  
her fall, but Aelita said it was 'her' fault. Could 'her' be the person we saw coming out of the park?"  
  
"It's very possible," Yumi agreed. "So, what is going on between you and Sissy?"  
  
Ulrich grinned. "It doesn't matter."  
  
"Yes it does," Yumi said loudly, drawing the attention of other students.  
  
"You're not jealous, are you Yumi?" He grinned again as Yumi blushed.  
  
"Of course not! Who you go out with is your business."  
  
"Then why are you asking?" Yumi continued to invent new shades of scarlet with her cheeks as Ulrich  
  
laughed.  
  
"No reason, I just wanted to make sure you didn't like her or anything. A girl like that would tear  
  
you apart."  
  
Ulrich looked solem again. "Kinda like whoever 'her' is did to Jeremy and Aelita?" 


	5. Scar of Destiny

hey everyone!  
  
Kya Tokina- you are very close  
  
dreaming star- also very close  
  
shhhhhhh, no one give my plot away, lol!  
  
-----  
  
**Chapter Five: Scar of Destiny**  
  
Classes let out early that afternoon, so Yumi waited for Ulrich in the courtyard again. "I have an idea  
  
on how to find out about Jeremy and Aelita," she told him when he arrived.  
  
"How?" Ulrich sat down next to her eagerly.  
  
"The school keeps files on all of it's students, doesn't it?  
  
Ulrich nodded. "Of course! So we should go check the school files for anything on them, right?"  
  
"Exactly!" Yumi stood up. "Let's go then!"   
  
-----  
  
"I'm sorry, kids, but there's no one by the name of Jeremy or Aelita in my files." The secretary   
  
swiveled her chair around to face the students. "Nobody by either of those names matching your desciptions  
  
ever attended this school."  
  
Ulrich looked at Yumi and shrugged. "Oh well. We tried."  
  
"You could try the library's newspaper files. They have everything from the past fifty years," the  
  
secertary put in helpfully. "Maybe the people you're looking for are in there somewhere."  
  
"Why not? We can at least look," Yumi agreed. Ulrich nodded, and they left the office.  
  
-----  
  
"Nothing!" Ulrich tossed a fifteen-year-old newspaper down onto the table between Yumi and himself in  
  
disgust. The sudden noise earned him a glare from the library and scattered 'sshhhh!' from nearby students.  
  
"Maybe we just haven't gone back far enough," reasoned Yumi gently in a hushed tone, looking up from a  
  
pile of weekly newspapers from seventeen years before. "Try these." She passed another pile to Ulrich, who  
  
took them with a morbid stare and began leafing through the top.   
  
"Twenty years ago," he mused aloud. The passed into silence as each teen searched for information.  
  
"Check this out!" Ulrich broke the silence. "These papers are all in order, but one issue is missing!"  
  
"The third week of April is missing, like someone took it and never put it back!"  
  
"Ulrich, we're in the third week of April right now!" Yumi's voice rose an octave.  
  
"This doesn't bring us any closer to what happened though," Ulrich said in exasperation.  
  
"Maybe not, but I think I know someone who can help us!" Yumi stood. "Let's go!"  
  
The pair exited the library building and re-entered the afternoon sunlight. Suddenly Yumi felt a   
  
push from behind her.  
  
"Ahh!" Yumi felt her body tumble down the small stairway and connect with the concrete. Taking an  
  
internal check, she realized that she seemed to be okay except for her left ankle, which had begun to throb.  
  
"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry!" Sissy's voice floated down and rang in Yumi's ears. Ulrich rushed down and   
  
lifted Yumi forcibly to her feet, supporting her weight while turning to glare at Sissy. The younger girl  
  
seemed to be hiding a smirk. "Excuse me." Sissy swept past them, giving Yumi one extra glance.  
  
Ulrich opened his mouth to shout something after Sissy but Yumi interrupted him. "Forget her. We have   
  
to get to the principle's office."  
  
"Can you walk?"  
  
"I don't think so." Yumi pressed weight on her foot with a wince. "No."  
  
"Alright then. "Ulrich stooped down in front of her with his back to her. "Get on."  
  
"What?" Had she been capable of doing so, Yumi would have stumbled backwards.  
  
"Climb on my back. I'll carry you." Blushing furiously, Yumi did as she was bid, adjusting herelf on  
  
Ulrich back. He rose once she was on. "Ready?"  
  
"Uh-huh." Yumi nodded.  
  
"All right then, off to the nurses office!" Ulrich began walking, ignoring Yumi's enraged shriek from  
  
behind him.  
  
"Ulrich! We have to see the principle! We can't waste our time dwadling with the school nurse!" Yumi  
  
squirmed, trying to make the determined boy stop.  
  
"It's of no use of you can't walk. We have to have your ankle checked out by Dorothy, and at least get  
  
it bandaged. If you try to walk you could really injure yourself."  
  
"But--" He cut Yumi off as she was about to object.  
  
"No buts. It's to the nurse with you, and that's final." Ulrich smiled smugly when he felt Yumi stop  
  
resisting.  
  
"Fine. But I'll get you back for this!" 


	6. Dark School's Heartbeat

hi everyone!  
  
Kya Tokina- am I correct in thinking it is Ron Weasley?  
  
Possesed Angel- i'm trying!  
  
SummerWings- that is cuter, i agree  
  
Sword Master Jeff and Spiritual Tao- don't worry, Sissy gets her 'just desserts.'  
  
can anyone take a guess at what two anime's episode titles i am basing my chapter titles on?  
  
-----  
  
**Chapter Six: Dark School's Heartbeat**  
  
Yumi glared at Ulrich around Dorothy, who was wrapping the irate teen's leg in an ace bandag and   
  
scolding her gently. She had taken Yumi's story of 'I tripped down the stairs' with a raised eyebrow,   
  
but had chosen not to comment or press the matter further.  
  
Ulrich was smiling serenly at Yumi, as though he couldn't possibly fathom what was so irritating   
  
her, and seemed to be ignoring her red-hot gaze.  
  
"There you go." Dorothy stepped back, admiring her work. "You should really try to be more careful,   
  
Yumi. You haven't even been here a full week yet. I'm going to go get you some crutches, you shouldn't   
  
walk on that for a couple of days." She swept out of the room.  
  
"Happy now," Yumi snapped.   
  
"Yes," Ulrich responded, his grin growing wider at the exaperated look this earned from Yumi. "Aw,   
  
c'mon Yumi." He rose and placed his hand on top of hers. "I just don't want you to hurt yourself."  
  
Her eyes softened. "Yeah, I know."  
  
Dorothy bustled in hefting two wodden crutches before her. "Here you go, Yumi. Come back and see   
  
me in a couple of days." Yumi nodded in understanding and found herself ushered out the door along   
  
with Ulrich. "Get going you two! And Yumi, do be more careful, dear." She shut the door behind them,   
  
leaving them alone in the desolate hallway.  
  
"Now we can go to the principle," reasoned Ulrich.  
  
-----  
  
The principle looked up at the sound of a knock at his door. "Come in!" He watched as Ulrich   
  
shoved his head though the narrow space between the door and the frame.  
  
"May we talk to you for a moment, sir?"  
  
"We? Who is with you, Ulirch?"  
  
Ulrich entered completely, opening the door wide to allow for Yumi's entrance with the crutches.   
  
"Hello, sir," she said as she hobbled in.  
  
"Yumi! You haven't even been here a week yet, what happened?" He rose, but Yumi gestured that   
  
he sit back down.  
  
"I'm okay, I just fell is all. We really have to talk to you." She and Ulrich sat down in the   
  
chairs across from the principle's desk. "Sir, has anything...bad ever happened here?"  
  
The man's face grew flustered for a moment, but the shocked expression passed as quickly as it had  
  
appeared, replaced with a look of innocent bewilderment. "Of-of course not!"  
  
"Are you sure," Ulrich pressed. "Nothing involving two students named Aelita and Jeremy?"  
  
This time the principle paled visibly, eyes growing wide. Hanging his head her refused to look them  
  
in the eyes as he said, "Yes, yes there has. Twenty years ago." Yumi and Ulrich glanced at each other.  
  
"Could you tell us about it?" Yumi leaned forward.  
  
"There's not much to it. The best we could figure was that she killed him, then ran off of school  
  
ground and threw herself off the bridge by that old abandoned factory." In unison, Yumi and Ulrich  
  
gasped loudly.  
  
Yumi composed herself first. "T-thank you sir..." She rose and ulrich followed suit, allowing her   
  
to lead the way out of the room. 


	7. Smells like a Wandering Spirit

**Chapter Seven: Smells like a Wandering Spirit**  
  
Yumi all but dragged Ulrich down the deserted hallway towards the double doors that gave the promise of  
  
sunshine. "This is so messed up." Yumi asssesed the situation. "There is just no way she killed him."  
  
"How can you be so sure of that," Ulrich asked from behind her as he tried to keep up with her pace. The  
  
crutches didn't seem to slow Yumi down much. They were already halfway down the hall.   
  
Yumi wheeled around to face him as fast as the crutches would allow. Ulrich stopped just short of   
  
plowing straight into her, and both of them blushed when they realized how close they were standing. Drawing  
  
herself back a step, Yumi spoke. "I'm sure because any fool could see she was head over heels for him. And I  
  
saw the look on her face when she ran by me on the first day. She wasn't running like she'd killed someone,  
  
she was running like she was terrified of something. No, Aelita didn't kill Jeremy, but I'm willing to bet   
  
that she saw who did."  
  
"Yeah, but how's that old saying go? 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?'" Yumi glared at Ulrich as  
  
though she would like to be offended by that comment, so he continued hastily. "Maybe he dumped her or   
  
something so she went after him for revenge."  
  
Yumi considered this for a moment, obviously unconvinced. Then suddenly she face lit up. Dropping the  
  
crutches, she threw her arms around Ulrich. "Oh, Ulrich, you're brilliant!"  
  
Ulrich invented several new shades of red as he responded. "I am? Why?"  
  
Releasing Ulrich to retrieve her crutches, she said "You just gave us our motive, and I think I know who  
  
killed Jeremy! I want to check the library again." She hobble doff down the hall, leaving Ulrich slack-jawed   
  
and dazed behind her, forced to sprint to catch up.  
  
-----  
  
"Look at this!" Yumi pushed the book across the oak table towards Ulrich, her finger indicating where  
  
he should look. It was a book of the school's history, and she was pointing at a picture with a small  
  
biography under it.  
  
Ulrich took the book, reading the caption. "It's a former principle that was here twenty years ago. It   
  
says he had a daughter, CeeCee, who went to school here," he summarized.  
  
"Check the picture," Yumi prodded eagerly.  
  
Ulrich let his gaze shift up to the picture in the center of the page. It showed an elderly gentleman  
  
standing next to a young girl who was sitting in a chair. "She looks like..."  
  
Yumi nodded gravely. "Sissy."  
  
"But why...." Ulrich looked questioningly at Yumi. "How..?"  
  
"I'm not totally sure yet. But I'm willing to bet that 'guy' in the dream we had wasn't a guy."  
  
Ulrich caught on. "And the 'she' they were talking about at the lunch table was probably CeeCee too!"  
  
Yumi rested her elbows on the table, propping up her head. "But what does that have to do with us? And  
  
why isn't the incident mentioned in any of the records? It's like it never happened."  
  
"The school probably doesn't want anyone to know. Can you imagine all the bad publicity a murder would  
  
bring?" Ulrich mimicked Yumi's pose, sighing heavily. "As for what it has to do with us, I have no clue." He  
  
closed his mouth suddenly as Millie and Tamiya walked by, talking and giggling happily.  
  
"I want to be reincarnated as a cat," Millie said. "Cats are so awesome!"  
  
"Not me," Tamiya responded. "I want to be a bird!" The pair walked off, oblivious to Yumi and Ulrich.  
  
Yumi sat up quickly. "That's it! I got it! Sissy must be CeeCee reincarnated!"  
  
"How do you figure that?"  
  
"They look so much alike, and from what evidence we have they have similar personality flaws." Yumi  
  
nodded to confirm herself. "That has to be it!"  
  
"You're probably right, but that still doesn't explain their connection to us." Ulrich sulked. "Of  
  
course, there is one way....."  
  
-----  
  
i think i'll just cut it off there..... :) 


	8. Degenerate Ghosts

**Chapter Eight: Degenerate Ghosts**  
  
"If Sissy is CeeCee," Ulrich continued, sitting up straighter as he explained his theory.  
  
Epiphany dawned on Yumi's face. "Then we are Jeremie and Aelita," she finished triumphantly, looking   
  
pleased at the revelation. "Which also explains my dream. I was in her body, remember! It's all coming   
  
together now!"   
  
Ulrich nodded. "And it also explains why only we can see them. In a sense, we are them." Yumi rose, and  
  
Ulrich followed suit automaticlly, asking, "Where are we off to now?" he pushed in his chair, leaving the   
  
book open on the table.  
  
Propelling herself towards the door, Yumi answered. "That old bridge of course. I want to take a look at  
  
it." Sighing a long-suffering sigh, Ulrich followed. "We're not going to find anything," he called after her   
  
in a low tone so as not to disturb the library's other occupants.  
  
"I know, but it can't hurt to try, right?" The question was rhetorical, and Ulrich didn't answer.  
  
-----  
  
Out of the row of bookshelves adjacent to the table where moments before Yumi and Ulrich had sat stepped   
  
a lone figure. The books had done little to muffle the voices of the pair, and the eavesdropper had heard   
  
every word that had been said.  
  
Approaching the book left so carelessly open the spy pointed a slender, pale finger at the page with the  
  
picture. "Not bad," she sniffed, "But I'm better looking. I suppose it doesn't matter though. It will all end   
  
tomorrow, if I'm correct."  
  
-----  
  
"Hmmmm." Yumi peered around at the bridge she and Ulrich now stood on.  
  
"Anything of interest," Ulrich asked from behind her, obviously skeptical of the entire trip. The sun was  
  
rapidly sinking below the distant horizon, and he wasn't anxious to be caught sneaking back late twice in one  
  
week. They had been here for thirty minutes already, but had yet to find anything of particular interest. Yumi  
  
had pointed out scornfully that they hadn't so much as put a memorial to her, but that supported the fact   
  
that the school had attempted to keep things quiet.  
  
Yumi turned with her mouth open to answer, but instead she stared at a point over Ulrich's shoulder.  
  
Following his friend's gaze Ulrich spun around, his jaw dropping to match Yumi's at the sight.  
  
Running towards them at break-neck speed came Aelita, her eyes wide with untold terrors. Unconsciously   
  
the pair moved back, watching the scene but helpless to do anything but watch as the pink-haired girl came to  
  
a skidding halt at the edge of the bridge. She was staring down into the water like it was calling to her.  
  
She wasn't screaming in terror, though she was obviously frightened out of her wits.  
  
Snapping out of his daze Ulrich came to the realization of what she was about to do. Lunging forward as  
  
if he had any power to stop her, the teen threw himself towards the apparition. "No, don't!"  
  
There were several seconds where time seemed to slow. Aelita turned and looked at Ulrich for a moment,   
  
then spread her arms wide and swan-dived off the bridge at the same time as he reached her. It was odd that   
  
she could look to graceful even as she plunsged downward in what was sure to be a death fall.   
  
With nothing to ram into to stop his momentum, Ulrich found himself carried over with her into the   
  
unknown air beyond. Wryly he realized too late that even if she had still been there, he would have passed  
  
right through her. So much for heroics.  
  
Rushing forward with a speed she never knew she possesed, Yumi cried out. "Ulrich!" _'No!'_  
  
(I was considering leaving it off here, but I'm not that mean....)  
  
"Yumi!" Ulrich's voice rose up from over the side of the bridge. "I'm okay, but could you pull me up?"  
  
Unbidden tears of relief flowed from her eyes as Yumi pulled Ulrich up. "You scared me half to death!  
  
Why did you do that? You know you couldn't have stopped her!" Holding the shaken boy at arm's length she  
  
examined him up and down.  
  
"I dunno. Conditioned response I guess. But at least we know one thing now," he said.  
  
Wiping away a tear, Yumi looked at him quizzically. "What's that?"  
  
"They can hear us. When I leapt for her, Aelita turned and looked at me. That proves we can make contact  
  
with them. It's not much, but at least it's a start."  
  
Yumi stared past him into the setting sun, the fading light reflecting off her tear-stained cheeks. "It   
  
happened the same time too. The last time I saw her it was about this time. But why are we seeing this? Is   
  
there any point to it at all, or are we simply doomed to forever see ghosts walking around?"  
  
"No, there has to be a reason," Ulrich confirmed. "C'mon, I'll walk you home on my way back." 


	9. Soul Cages

**Chapter Nine: Soul Cages**  
  
The next moring flew by and luchtime found Yumi, Ulrich and Odd sitting in the lunch hall. Odd shoved food   
  
into his mouth like he would never eat again. Yumi and Ulrich shifted their food from side to side on the trays,  
  
obviously not hungry. Dark rings under Yumi's eyes said volumes about the amout of sleep she had gotten the   
  
night before, and Ulrich hadn't spoken much all morning.  
  
"Hello, Ulrich darling!" Pushing his tray aside, Ulrich put his head down on the cool table, as if this   
  
would make her go away.  
  
"Hey Sissy! How's the nose job working out for you?" Ulrich smiled down at the table at the thought of how  
  
red Sissy's face must have been getting. Sure enough, when he raised his head up she was standing there glaring  
  
daggers at Odd, who was smiling innocently.  
  
"What do you want," Yumi snapped, pointedly not looking at the younger girl. Sissy's gaze shifted to the  
  
crutches Yumi had leaned up against the table next to her.  
  
"I just wanted to see if Ulrich wanted to take me to a movie tonight. I'm sure my dad would let us. I'd  
  
invite you, but with that ankle and all..." Sissy trailed off, letting the silence finished the sentance for  
  
her.   
  
Yumi started to rise, ignoring the sharp pain that shot up her leg. Ulrich placed a calming hand on her   
  
shoulder, gently forcing her back down into the seat. "I'd rather not," he managed to spit out. "I'd never go  
  
out with a witch like you."   
  
Sissy gave an unlady-like sniff and stalked away, looking hurt. "You shouldn't let her get to you," Ulrich  
  
scolded Yumi softly. "She said that last part on purpose--"  
  
Yumi cut him off. "I know that!" She sounded disgusted. "Sometimes it seems like payback might not be so   
  
bad, you know?" The last part was said softly, and the boys could tell there was no malice behind it.  
  
Sliding his tray over to Odd, who was looking rather lost, Ulrich stood up. "You done, Yumi?"  
  
"Yeah." Yumi did the same, passing her tray to Odd and following Ulrich out.  
  
Ulrich froze just outside the door, and Yumi bashed into him from behind. "Yumi," he breathed softly. "Take  
  
a look at that!"  
  
Over his shoulder, Yumi saw what the boy was looking at. On a bench in the park area sat Jeremie and   
  
Aelita, glancing at each other awkwardly and looking generally uncomfortable. They were facing opposite   
  
directions on the bench. Suddenly they both turned at the same time, locking eyes. Jeremie started to lean in,  
  
and itdawned on Yumi what was happening. "We shouldn't be watching this," she hissed in Ulrich's ear.  
  
Ulrich reached for Yumi's hand, squeezing it gently. "Why not? We're them, right?" Yumi turned an unnatural  
  
shade of red, even as the scene before them continued to unfold. The ghostly pair's lips met and then parted.   
  
Both of them looked highly embarassed.  
  
"Would you like to come to my room after classes are over? I have a new computer program you might like to  
  
see," Jeremie said, breaking the tension.  
  
Aelita nodded. "That'd be great!"  
  
"I'll meet you here after class then."  
  
Ulrich winced as he felt Yumi's grip on his hand tighten. "Look in the trees over there, to the right," she  
  
whispered. He followed her gaze and saw a lone figure behind a tree, within earshot of the pair on the bench, but  
  
not within their line of sight.  
  
"CeeCee," he whispered back. Breaking her cover the previously hidden girl came forward, striding towards  
  
Jeremie and Aelita.  
  
"Hello, Jeremie darling," she gushed loudly. "Would you like to come see a movie with me tonight?"  
  
"That sounds awful familiar," mused Yumi in a low voice.  
  
"No way. In your dreams, CeeCee," Jeremie said in similar fashion to Ulrich. Grabbing Aelita's hand, Jeremie  
  
stalked away from the bench, leaving CeeCee to ponder her defeat.  
  
"Well, that was interesting," Ulrich said, watching as the image of CeeCee faded away.  
  
"At least we know where Jeremie gets murdered. It was definately in his dorm," Yumi confirmed.  
  
"How do you figure that?"  
  
Yumi smiled at him. "Because the first time I saw Aelita she was headed from the dorms. She must have been  
  
with Jeremie."  
  
"So that mean if we coem here after class we should find Jeremie waiting for her. Then all we have to do is  
  
follow them to Jeremie's dorm room and stop CeeCee from commiting the murder."  
  
"Maybe," Yumi mused. "But what if we can't stop it? Can we change history?"  
  
-----  
  
"There they are!" Yumi and Ulrich watched as Aelita and Jeremie started towards his dorm, chatting quietly.  
  
"They look so alive," Yumi whispered.  
  
"C'mon, we have to follow them," urged Ulrich. They followed the pair up the stairs and down the hall, into  
  
a dorm room that Jeremie opened. "This is my room, the one I share with Odd," Ulrich whispered. "What?"  
  
He followed Jeremie in and looked around, obviously shocked. "This isn't my room," he said. There was only  
  
one bed here, with a picture of Einstein hung over it. On the far wall stood a table with a computer on it.  
  
Jeremie had taken a seat in the chair and Aelita was leaning over his shoulder.  
  
"We're in their world now," Yumi said aloud, looking around in awe. Both intruders jumped when the door  
  
opened again. Jeremie and Aelita turned around in horror.  
  
Into the room strode CeeCee, with Sissy at her heels. Sissy gave Yumi and Ulrich a satisfied smirk, but the  
  
other girl's gaze was focused on Jeremie. As she walked towards the pair at the computer, CeeCee slowly slid a  
  
dagger from behind her back.  
  
"Hello, Jeremie darling," she oozed, her voice sickly sweet.  
  
"Take it easy, CeeCee," soothed Jeremie. "What don't we talk for a bit?" He stood, pushing Aelita behind him  
  
as he did so.  
  
CeeCee stood over him, dagger in hand. "The time for talking is past!"  
  
"Indeed it is." Yumi and Ulrich had been so absorbed in the scene before them that they had forgotten about  
  
Sissy. Her voice jolted them back to reality and they turned to find that she too had a dagger. Mimicking the   
  
other boy's move, Ulrich pushed Yumi behind him, feeling her stumble a bit with the crutches.  
  
"Don't do this, Sissy," Ulrich said quietly. "It doesn't have to go down like this!"  
  
"Quite the contrary, Ulrich, it does," Sissy purred. "Haven't you ever heard that we must learn from history  
  
in order to avoid repeating it?"  
  
"You obviously learned nothing from it," spat Yumi from behind him. "You're making the same mistake she is!"  
  
Ulrich moved like lightning, swiftly knocking the dagger from Sissy's hand. It clattered to the floor, and  
  
Aelita screamed. Everyone wheeled around to see CeeCee plunge the dagger down at Jeremie, piercing his heart. The  
  
fallen boy gasped, a slow rasping breath, and collasped, a pool of blood forming under his lifeless body.  
  
Aelita bolted, eyes wide with fear. CeeCee followed her out, moving past them like they weren't even there.  
  
Yumi, Sissy and Ulrich stared in awe as the room transformed around them, back into Ulrich's regular dorm room.  
  
-----  
  
I think i'll leave it there. One more chapter to finish it up, i think. 


	10. Vanishing Point

let's rap this up, shall we?  
  
**Chapter Ten: Vanishing Point**  
  
Sissy stared numbly at the knife that lay at her feet. It had seemed like such a good idea too.....She felt  
  
herself trembling, shaking in fear and relief and a mix of emotions she couldn't even identify. She flinched  
  
when Ulrich placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"We should probably go see your dad," he said in a gentle voice usually reserved from those he actually  
  
liked. Sissy nodded dumbly, allowing Ulrich to lead her out of the room. Before following them, Yumi grabbed a   
  
tissue off the desk and picked the knife up with it to avoid putting her own fingerprints on it. There would be  
  
a great deal of explaining to do.  
  
-----  
  
Yumi adjusted herself on the bed, unable to find a comfortable position. "It's over," she said slowly,   
  
unable to fully comprehend the thought.  
  
"Yeah." Ulrich's voice drifted up from the bed to her left. Upon hearing the slightly edited story   
  
the principle had sent them directly to Dorothy. Sissy would probably join them shortly, if her father   
  
stopped yelling anytime soon. Yumi and Ulrich had gotten put straight to bed with thermometers stuck under   
  
their tongues. They hadn't told anyone about Jeremie, Aelita and CeeCee, they had simply conveniently left that  
  
part out.  
  
"We didn't stop it." Her voice was filled with regret as she stared at the ceiling. it was white with   
  
little holes in it.  
  
"Maybe we we're supposed to."  
  
"What do you mean?" Yumi rolled on her side, propping her head up with an elbow and giving Ulrich an   
  
intense stare, grateful for the excuse to look at him and not at the ceiling.  
  
"Well, maybe stopping it wasn't the point. It could be that we were supposed to prevent it from happening  
  
again. History repeats itself, you know? Besides, how could we have stopped it? The little incident on the   
  
bridge yesterday proved that." Ulrich sighed. "They died a long time ago, Yumi. Maybe they just wanted to keep  
  
us from suffering the same fate."  
  
"I think you're right," Yumi agreed, falling back into her previous position on the bed.  
  
The door creaked open and Dorothy entered. "Well, there's nothing phsyically wrong with you two, though  
  
heaven only knows what you've been through tonight. You're free to go."  
  
-----  
  
Yumi walked up the sidewalk towards Cadic Jr. high, humming softly to herself to the beat as her feet were  
  
drumming on the cement. The events of the night before seemed to have faded away into nothingness, or perhaps it  
  
was that she wanted to forget. It felt like it had been a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.  
  
She arrived at the school, walking confidently through the gates. it was several minutes before classes   
  
were set to begin, and Ulrich and Odd could be seen goofing off by the park.  
  
"Hey, Yumi, over here!" Odd waved and called her over. "Ulrich told me all about it," he explained when she  
  
was close enough that he could speak low enough that no one else could hear.   
  
"Sissy's gone," Ulrich put in. "Some people came last night and took her away. We probably won't see her  
  
again for a while."  
  
"Away to where," Yumi asked skeptically.   
  
The boys gave identical shrugs. "No clue," Odd provided. "After what she tried to do, I wouldn't be too  
  
shocked if it was a mental institute."  
  
"Neither would I," Ulrich agreed.  
  
"Anyway, I'm hungry," Odd changed the subject, patting his stomach.  
  
Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Dude, we just came from the caffeteria."  
  
Odd nodded. "I know, but I'm still hungry. I'm gonna try to mooch some off the lunch ladies." he skipped   
  
off merrily, leaving Yumi and Ulrich alone.  
  
Ulrich opened his mouth to say something, but an audible gasp from Yumi cut him off. She was looking over   
  
his shoulder. Turning around, he followed her gaze and gave an identical gasp.  
  
Standing several feet away were Jeremie and Aelita, hand-in-hand and smiling serenely at the other couple.   
  
When they saw that both Yumi and Ulrich had spotted them, they waved, grinning.  
  
Ulrich grabbed Yumi's hand, raising the other one to wave as Yumi did likewise. The joined souls smiles  
  
happily at each other for a moment, and them the images of Jeremie and Aelita began to fade.  
  
"They vanished," Yumi said when they could no longer be seen. "I hope they're happy, wherever they are."  
  
"I'm sure they are."  
  
-----OWARI-----  
  
Well, how was it? my first completed Code Lyoko multi-chapter fic (sniff) i'm so happy!  
  
Keep and eye out for my next fic, it's called Winner Take All!  
  
Also, would anyone be interested in a mailing list? A reviewer of Honor asked me to email her when I updated, so  
  
I started thinking about doing one. I know a lot of you have me on your author alert list, but I thought I'd   
  
ask.If anyone is interested, please let me know in your review. be sure to tell me your email or make sure it's   
  
up on your profile page!  
  
It's been fun, guys. Ja'ne! 


End file.
